There has been a detection of the exotic pest, brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), in Glendenning, Western Sydney. Warehouse staff unpacking a consignment imported from Italy discovered live stinkbugs on timber pallets and boxes, and alerted biosecurity officers. The goods were sprayed and shrink-wrapped before being moved to a container. Bug specimens were taken to Sydney laboratories where an entomologist identified them as brown marmorated stink bug.

The infested container and the warehouse have been fumigated, traps have been set and the premise has been searched for specimens. In all, a total of 38 stinkbugs were detected. Biosecurity officers will undertake a weekly fog and inspection of the premise for a minimum of three weeks after the detection and further delimiting activities will include tracing of similar consignments, additional trapping, and surveillance.

The Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) met in response to this incident and will continue to meet to determine whether or not it is technically feasible to eradicate. The committee will provide its recommendations to the National Biosecurity Management Group for decision

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a significant threat to agriculture due to its wide host range and the damage it can do to vegetable crops and fruit and ornamental trees. BMSB is known to feed on more than 300 hosts, including agricultural crops such as nuts, grains, berries, cotton, citrus, soybean and some ornamental and weed plant species. While feeding, the bug’s saliva causes significant damage to plant tissues.

BSMB does not pose a risk to human health but it is regarded as a nuisance pest because it seeks sheltered places to overwinter such as inside homes, vehicles, machinery or sheds, often in large numbers.

Scientists have answered the question, ‘Where should all the trees go?’ through a study that investigated vegetation change across major Australian metropolitan areas and locations with abnormally high heat, socio-economic disadvantage and health concerns.

Commissioned by Hort Innovation and led by RMIT University, the study involved the use of high-resolution aerial imagery and heat, health, age-risk and canopy data to formulate an index for each Local Government Area.

As a key stakeholder and provider of green life, the study is a useful resource for nurseries to better understand canopy, shrub and hard surface cover across their respective local areas, and to provide evidence-backed recommendations to customers about which plants, where. More

There is still time to apply for a nursery scholarship for the 2018 Global Masterclass in Horticultural Business, with applications closing on Monday, 20 November 2017.

Described as a mini-MBA, the Masterclass runs for 10 months and provides a comprehensive, affordable and accessible program for those looking to take their horticulture career to the next level.

The nursery industry has once again allocated $30,000 worth of scholarship funding towards the Masterclass in 2018. Nursery employers and employees that have a passion for building their skills and the industry’s capacity are strongly encouraged to apply! More

Australians who have perfected their work-life balance are invited to consider addressing another aspect of their lives – their plant-life balance.

A new campaign by the nursery industry is encouraging people to increase the number of plants they have in their homes, workplaces and communities, through selecting species with benefits such as a ‘plant health rating’.

Plant Life Balance includes a free app for plant styling, with seven ‘looks’ to suit a range of design tastes and budgets, as well as to improve air quality and wellbeing.

The campaign has received significant media coverage across international, national and regional media, with the app now reaching more than 184,000 downloads since launching October 30. More

Symptoms: Symptoms vary with host, but spots often initially appear as small water-soaked circular lesions on leaves, stems or fruit. With time, spots enlarge and become tan to dark brown or black in colour. Sometimes leaf spots may be surrounded by a bright yellow halo. Lesions may become sunken and produce concentric bands of tiny black fruiting bodies on the dead tissue in the centre of spots. Salmon-coloured spore masses may exude from fruiting bodies under conditions of high humidity. More

How easily can you differentiate between virus and mite symptoms? There’s help out there, but does your integrated pest management (IPM) plan make use of the resources available to industry?

The call is out for nursery growers in Western Australia, Northern Rivers New South Wales and South-East Queensland to make the most of upcoming on-farm biosecurity workshops, so as to sharpen up on important pest and disease management skills.

Two workshops, to be held in early November, will provide a practical ‘hands-on’ approach to equip production nurseries with the knowledge and resources to confidently diagnose unknown plant health problems. More